Two new National Lottery millionaires

THE National Lottery have announced the two winning locations of the June 17 shared Lotto jackpot which resulted in two players scooping €6,373,878 each. The Westmeath winner scooped their life-changing share after purchasing their ticket at the Tuthills store at the Golden Island Shopping Centre in Athlone, while the Donegal player won their €6,373,878 amount after purchasing their ticket at McCarrons Village Shop at Quigleys Point. Pictured are Bernie Coen, Abigail Kamphambale (ticket seller) and Joe Callinan, Manager from Tuthills, Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone, with Sara Orr, Simon Reenan and Donna Broderick from the National Lottery.

Lidl Ireland’s parcel partnership

LIDL Ireland have joined forces with an innovative ‘out of home’ selfservice parcel locker provider to make parcel lockers available to customers, offering them the convenience of picking up or returning their online purchases, at the same time as their regular shop. The strategic partnership with parcel locker company OOHPod and Lidl Ireland will see Lidl roll-out the lockers to stores nationwide in the months ahead, simplifying online shopping for customers. The lockers are open 24/7, providing shoppers with added peace of mind by offering the option to have their purchases dropped safely and securely ‘out of home’ to avoid the risk of missed deliveries. Pictured are Avril O’Hehir, Chief Administration Officer at Lidl Ireland, and John Tuohy, CEO of OOHPod.

Payzone to sponsor Bleeper bikes across Dublin

PAYZONE have announced a new sponsorship agreement with Bleeper, Ireland’s first dockless bike-sharing service. The agreement will see Payzone sponsor 800 of Bleeper’s public bikes operated in Dublin City, Fingal and Dun LaoghaireRathdown County Councils. The announcement comes ahead of further moves planned by Payzone to expand their current range of services within their popular Parking application. This will include a range of services which will make it easier for the travelling public to go about their daily lives, using one single application, regardless of how they commute, whether by car, bus, rail, taxi, bike, scooter or on foot. Pictured are Jim Deignan, CEO of Payzone, Hugh Cooney, Founder & CEO of Bleeper, and Ciara Donovan, Product OwnerParking Tag at Payzone Ireland, in Dublin docklands with the newly branded Bleeper bikes.

Five Irish suppliers partner with Musgrave MarketPlace

MUSGRAVE MarketPlace have announced five new partners following the first round of their Green Shoots programme. In collaboration with Bord Bia, the Dragons Den style initiative invited pitches from local Irish businesses with the opportunity for their product to be promoted and sold across Musgrave MarketPlace branches and online platforms. Companies presented to a panel of foodservice experts spanning the areas of culinary, purchasing, sales and marketing, with five providers selected: Vanilla Bean Patisserie in Cavan, Uneek Functional Cheese Company from Limerick, West Cork natives The Cultured Food Company and Spice of Life, as well as Builin Blasta from Galway. The businesses will now be listed in three Musgrave Marketplace branches as well as online. There will be the opportunity to host monthly sampling events in-branch and an extensive promotional campaign will now begin across Musgrave Marketplace social media and digital platforms, as well as in foodservice brochures. Desi Derby, Marketing Director Musgrave Wholesale Partners, is pictured with Vincent O’Gorman and Geraldine Conway from The Uneek Functional Cheese Company; Heather Connolly from Builín Blasta; Denis O’Driscoll and Moira Daly from Spice O’Life; and Mark Moriarty, Trading Director, Musgrave Wholesale Partners.

Sodexo employee wins inaugural Paula Mee Award

JOHN Core, Culinary Nutrition Lead and Group Business Manager with catering and workplace services provider Sodexo Ireland, has won the inaugural Paula Mee Applied Culinary Nutrition Memorial Award from TU Dublin. It was established earlier this year by the university’s School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology in memory of Paula, a well-known author and lecturer at the school, who was one of Ireland’s most prominent dieticians and food experts for the past two decades. It is only open to graduates, John Core among them, of the Master of Culinary Arts Applied Nutrition programme delivered on the university’s Tallaght Campus. John is pictured with Finola and Sandra Mee, two of Paula’s sisters, and Annette Sweeney, senior lecturer in Culinary Arts at TU Dublin.

Tallaght school wins GIY and SuperValu’s Let’s Grow initiative

JUST before the doors of school closed for the summer break, the pupils at Solas Chríost in Tallaght were given the ultimate surprise with the arrival of SuperValu and the GIY team to announce that the class are the national winner of the 2023 SuperValu Let’s Grow initiative. Pictured are Esmee Clarke, Kendrick Behekizulu, Lilly Wilson and Matthew O’Reilly with SuperValu Fortunestown owner Alan Jordan (left) and Michael Kelly, Founder of GIY.

Kilmallock store sells Daily Million €1 million winner

STAFF at Ryan’s Supervalu on Sarsfield Street in Killmallock, Co. Limerick, were thrilled to hear that their store sold the winning €1 million ticket in the 9pm Daily Million draw on Friday, June 30. The win marked the sixth Daily Million top prize win of 2023, following wins by players in Dublin, Tipperary, Donegal and Kildare. “We’re a busy shop in town with about 60 of us working here so it’s a great boost for us all. We have lots of regular locals who come into us too so I’m sure they’ll be delighted to hear we sold a winner as it’s positive news for the community,” revealed store manager Gareth Davies, pictured with Liam Ryan, store owner of Ryan’s SuperValu, with staff members Catriona Kelly, Michelle McGuire, Conor Finn, Roisin Howard, Joe Hay, and Mary Grace, Lotto Field Sales Representative.

SuperValu’s Signature Tastes Raspberries return

Hugo Keenan revealed as Optimum Nutrition ambassador

LEINSTER and Ireland rugby full-back Hugo Keenan has been revealed as a new ambassador for leading sports nutrition brand Optimum Nutrition, part of the Glanbia Performance Nutrition brand family. Hugo joins the Optimum Nutrition elite team, which includes rugby player Marcus Smith and Irish athletes Emma Duggan, Sean Finn and Nadia Power. Optimum Nutrition is the Performance Nutrition partner of Leinster Rugby, providing its Elite Series product range and nutritional guidance to both men’s and women’s Senior Leinster Rugby squads. “With Optimum Nutrition as a partner, my Leinster Rugby teammates and I know we will be provided with the very best nutrition products for elite athletes, playing a significant role in support of our goals each season,” said Hugo.

SENIOR grower Denis Kenny is pictured at Keelings as SuperValu’s Signature Tastes Raspberries return to add flavour and colour to desserts this summer season. Grown from the premium Maravilla raspberry variety, which has been recognised internationally for its taste and quality, the Signature Tastes Raspberries are full of flavour to tantalise tastebuds this summer. The berries are firm, have a consistent taste and feel, and are quite large with a lengthy shelf-life. They don’t tend to leak juice or break down when packed into punnets. With a strong flavour, the berry is attractive to customers and there is a good balance between sugar and acid.

Pepco launch Tralee store

PEPCO are celebrating the launch of their seventh Irish store in Tralee, Co. Kerry, which opened on Saturday, July 15, treating the first 50 lucky customers to a golden ticket worth up to €100 to spend as they please in the new store. The latest opening comes after Dealz completely revamped six of their Irish stores, giving them top-to-bottom makeovers that converted them to the Pepco brand, creating an additional 60 jobs. Pepco, which has over 4,000 stores across 19 European countries, is a one-stop shop for food, health & beauty, fashion, homewares, toys and key household needs. “We’re delighted at the initial reaction to our Pepco stores in Ireland and we’re extremely excited to be opening our newest Pepco store in Tralee, Co. Kerry, after a top-tobottom refurbishment and extension,” noted Olivia McLoughlin, Trading Country Operations Manager for both Pepco and Dealz in Ireland.

Around Noon secure M&S own label supplier approval

AROUND Noon, the award-winning food-to-go manufacturer, have secured much-coveted M&S own label supplier status in a major endorsement of the company’s commitment to quality from one of the most trusted brands on the high street. It comes as the Newry firm announces significant new investments in readiness to grow their business, including the purchase of new equipment, upgrades to their facilities and the creation of new management positions, including a new Quality Manager and an NPD Manager. The accreditation sees Around Noon supply a range of own label products to M&S stores on the island of Ireland, increasing the range of the supermarket retailer’s sandwich offering. Showcasing the M&S own label range from Around Noon are Eddie Murphy, M&S Trading Director for Ireland & Northern Ireland (centre) with Around Noon’s NPD Manager, Victoria Laverty (left) and Sales Director, Philip Morgan (right).

Balbriggan store sells €3.9 million Lotto ticket

THERE were celebrations aplenty in Balbriggan in early July as Pinewood Stores was announced as the selling location for the July 8 winning Lotto jackpot ticket worth €3,931,066. “The store is situated in the heart of a local community here in Balbriggan so it’s lovely to think that one of our regulars may have had a huge win over the weekend. I’d imagine there were huge celebrations on Saturday night after the draw. It’s a massive amount to win so I am delighted for the winner. I wish them all the very best and hope they enjoy their big win,” noted store owner David Fitzgibbon, pictured (centre right) with staff member Joey Kelly (centre left), and David Woods and Sarah Orr from the National Lottery.